Man Uses Racial Slurs At Elmhurst Restaurant, Threatens Workers: Cops

ELMHURST, IL – An Arlington Heights man was charged with a hate crime last week after he leveled racial slurs and threatened employees of an Elmhurst restaurant, police said.

James Joseph, 68, who lives in the 400 block of North Pine Avenue in Arlington Heights, was taken to the DuPage County Jail on a charge of disorderly conduct as a hate crime, police said. He remained jailed Tuesday morning.

The incident occurred about 4 p.m. Saturday at Burger King, 620 W. North Ave., police said.

In December 2023, Joseph was accused of repeatedly calling an African American bus driver the n-word. He then directed racial slurs at responding Elmhurst officers of Hispanic heritage, police said.

On the bus, Joseph threatened to kill the 41-year-old driver and her children for being late to his stop, according to a police report.

He was also accused of challenging officers: "You want to f--- with me? You come three strong. Guess what? I've done three strong. Pull your revolvers out right now."

Online court records indicate Joseph was sent to prison in the previous case, but had since been released.